tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17372724482406955822018-01-03T02:04:50.117+13:00Dave’s GardenGrowing things is just part of the fun...Dave McGregorhttps://plus.google.com/108867116869437071186noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737272448240695582.post-64742217473649099222018-01-02T14:43:00.000+13:002018-01-02T14:43:33.093+13:00Alphabetical Index to ArticlesThis is my 100th blog post.<br /><br />With that many articles it is difficult even for&nbsp;<i>me</i>&nbsp;to keep track of everything I’ve written. And also because I sometimes like to go back and update articles I’ve written, I decided to create a detailed index with links to various subjects to help make finding stuff easier. I hope you find this helpful, although it is by no means complete and will likely be updated frequently.<br /><b><br /></b><b>Flowering Plants:</b><br /><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2012/04/bougainvillea.html" target="_blank">Bougainvillea</a><br /><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2012/12/caring-for-frangipanis.html" target="_blank">Frangipani</a><br /><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2011/10/potted-colour.html" target="_blank">Potted Colour</a><br />Roses<br /><br /><b>Fruit Trees:</b><br /><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2012/11/the-apple-tree.html" target="_blank">Apples</a><br />Avocados<br />Feijoas<br />Figs<br /><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2011/04/growing-grapes.html" target="_blank">Grapes</a><br /><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2011/07/guava-bush.html" target="_blank">Guavas</a><br /><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2013/07/the-mandarin-tree.html" target="_blank">Mandarins</a><br /><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2011/06/orange-tree.html" target="_blank">Oranges</a><br />Peaches<br /><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2011/10/plums-pollenation_15.html" target="_blank">Plums</a>&nbsp;(3)<br /><br /><b>Vegetables:</b><br /><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2010/12/my-first-attempt-at-cabbage.html" target="_blank">Cabbage</a><br /><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2013/04/red-capsicums.html" target="_blank">Capsicums</a>&nbsp;(Red)<br /><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2011/04/capsicums.html" target="_blank">Capsicums</a>&nbsp;(Green)<br /><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2011/09/new-winter-garden.html" target="_blank">Brassicas</a><br /><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2011/04/growing-kumaras-sweet-potato.html" target="_blank">Kumara</a><br /><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2013/03/another-attempt-at-spuds.html" target="_blank">Potatoes</a><br /><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2011/01/growing-tomatoes.html" target="_blank">Tomatoes</a><br /><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2011/11/harvesting-winter-crops.html" target="_blank">Winter Crops</a><br /><br /><b>DIY:</b><br /><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2010/09/bbqfireplace.html" target="_blank">Building a BBQ</a><br /><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2011/01/race-to-build-sleepout-1.html" target="_blank">Building a Sleepout</a>&nbsp;(8)<br /><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2013/04/diy-mantlepiece-1.html" target="_blank">Mantlepiece</a><br />Retaining Walls<br /><br /><b>Garden Layout:</b><br /><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2016/11/going-potty.html" target="_blank">Pots</a><br />Raised Gardens<br />Retaining Walls<br /><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2011/12/garden-archway.html" target="_blank">The Archway</a><br /><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2013/10/rebuilding-rockery.html" target="_blank">The Rockery</a><br />The Pergola<br /><br /><b>Garden Essentials:</b><br /><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2011/10/making-compost.html" target="_blank">Composting</a><br /><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2013/09/farming-worms.html" target="_blank">Worm Farming</a><br /><br /><b>Garden Inspiration:</b><br /><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2013/09/a-visit-to-aucklands-botanic-gardens.html" target="_blank">Auckland Botanic Gardens</a><br /><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2013/11/winter-gardens-at-auckland-domain.html" target="_blank">Auckland Winter Gardens</a><br /><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2013/11/the-great-greenhithe-garden-tour_18.html" target="_blank">The Great Greenhithe Garden Tour</a>Dave McGregorhttps://plus.google.com/108867116869437071186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737272448240695582.post-5199149062098944632017-12-04T14:47:00.000+13:002018-01-02T13:16:12.753+13:00The Sleepout #8: Six years on...<b>Note:</b>&nbsp;This article is part 8 in a series of articles about the sleepout I built in my back yard back in 2011. If you want to read the whole series of articles from the beginning start&nbsp;<a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2011/01/race-to-build-sleepout-1.html" target="_blank">here</a><br /><br />It’s been six years now since I first got the idea of building the sleepout and I have absolutely no regrets. In that time it’s been put to continuous use, usually for visitor accommodation and/or storage.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Iqr8_j6IMC4/WiSfmcNLEiI/AAAAAAAAMYo/DBJOQgFHNZQ7xT_8BXRLB9xYlLNsz7ZBQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_7104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Iqr8_j6IMC4/WiSfmcNLEiI/AAAAAAAAMYo/DBJOQgFHNZQ7xT_8BXRLB9xYlLNsz7ZBQCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_7104.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Admittedly, it’s not ideal for use all year round. Auckland’s weather has something to do with that as we get a lot of rain and despite the fact that it’s well insulated it does get a bit cold in the winter.<br /><br />But as anyone in NZ will tell you, Auckland has a serious housing shortage, a problem that’s been growing for some years now, which has caused a real problem with availability and inevitably the cost of housing has gone through the roof.<br /><br />For me personally, (as some readers of this Blog may know) my life was turned upside down soon after the sleepout was built, when my wife of 27 years passed away following a 3 year battle with breast cancer. Since then I’ve remarried and between my new wife and myself, we have 6 daughters between us, mostly all grown up thankfully, but each one of them has had their difficulties finding (and keeping) a suitable roof over their heads.<br /><br />Hence the sleepout is getting more use than it’s ever had. So this year I decided to focus on this part of the garden and do what I can to make it more comfortable and more usable. It was always my intention to do something along those lines but now there’s a need to shift it up a gear.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D_IkYH4j3-M/WiShEaao4XI/AAAAAAAAMY4/Wxe7Y409GcMpXDh8lQDCSSgjA0u4xzQWwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D_IkYH4j3-M/WiShEaao4XI/AAAAAAAAMY4/Wxe7Y409GcMpXDh8lQDCSSgjA0u4xzQWwCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_6804.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />So, the first thing I planned to do was build a deck that goes all the way around the sleepout, in order to create more outdoor living space. Unfortunately, the guidelines on sleepouts prevent me from enlarging the sleepout itself. As you would expect from a keen gardener like me, it was important to ensure it blends in nicely with the garden.<br /><br />So, the first job was to dig out the area where the deck would go, cutting into the bank sufficiently to create a reasonable space for the deck. That also meant there were 2 Pungas (tree ferns) that needed to be removed which I relocated to other parts of the garden. There were also 3 Lancewoods which were surprisingly easy to relocate. In the picture above one punga has already been removed with one still remaining. The Lancewoods are the 3 skinny trunks on the right of the photo.<br /><br /><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UTvI5dC5oos/WiSjJf_kHBI/AAAAAAAAMZI/HpbKdRpXf68d4huIAiBo90fQtuxFHUkBQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_7045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UTvI5dC5oos/WiSjJf_kHBI/AAAAAAAAMZI/HpbKdRpXf68d4huIAiBo90fQtuxFHUkBQCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_7045.JPG" width="300" />&nbsp;</a><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5ioQstCH9LQ/WiSjIi8UXcI/AAAAAAAAMZE/3tAD3Zcb9g4xERkKKdWnzn0hD4R7BCz_QCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_7044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5ioQstCH9LQ/WiSjIi8UXcI/AAAAAAAAMZE/3tAD3Zcb9g4xERkKKdWnzn0hD4R7BCz_QCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_7044.JPG" width="300" /></a><br /><br />I figured getting rid of more of the vegetation from around the sleepout may let more light in which will help keep the sleepout warmer and drier. Besides that, they were simply in the way.<br /><br />I decided to continue with Keystone for the retaining wall, so after measuring everything out I figured out where I needed to install a couple of timber piles and a beam to support the deck. I was careful to ensure the height was just right so the new decking would be flush level with the old decking. Then I continued framing it up with 150x50mm joists.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gWf7N7LtceE/WiSk4luruqI/AAAAAAAAMZY/jBEsjmuNxf8pRy4aAgrkCDFmp_vXddYTACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_7097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gWf7N7LtceE/WiSk4luruqI/AAAAAAAAMZY/jBEsjmuNxf8pRy4aAgrkCDFmp_vXddYTACLcBGAs/s640/IMG_7097.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ultimately, the intention was to create some outdoor living space that is also weathertight, so I needed to install some posts and beams to hold up the roofing which would tie it in with existing roofing on the sleepout. This was all bolted to the framing for the deck which could only be done <i>before</i> the retaining wall was properly finished off otherwise I couldn't drill the holes and get the bolts through as the retaining wall butts up tightly to the decking.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3wy0AVgXEDU/WkrM47EBl1I/AAAAAAAAMgg/9COyao0wM0kw7IXQz9X9NknEF6jh5IN5QCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_7189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3wy0AVgXEDU/WkrM47EBl1I/AAAAAAAAMgg/9COyao0wM0kw7IXQz9X9NknEF6jh5IN5QCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_7189.JPG" width="300" />&nbsp;&nbsp;</a><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AjQ3ZVU5CzM/WkrOn-6_jDI/AAAAAAAAMgs/xABEAMgrXloRoqoCnT6486u5dBVpEDSLgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_7194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AjQ3ZVU5CzM/WkrOn-6_jDI/AAAAAAAAMgs/xABEAMgrXloRoqoCnT6486u5dBVpEDSLgCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_7194.JPG" width="300" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I’m pretty sure this will eventually create a nice outdoor space especially from spring to autumn, and that bank will look nice once it’s all planted out. It’s still a work in progress so be sure to check back here for further updates later.</div><div><br /></div>Dave McGregorhttps://plus.google.com/108867116869437071186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737272448240695582.post-20444722565963336922017-08-02T14:34:00.001+12:002017-08-09T17:52:15.250+12:00Surprise Gift Provides Needed InspirationA good friend of mine named Tovio rang me one day last summer to ask if he could drop something off at my place. I had no idea what it was or what I had done to prompt him to do this, but I was delighted when he arrived with a planter box he’d made and wanted to give it to me.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sHh7MZV9bt0/WYEoIMYIG0I/AAAAAAAAH1Y/nNqJromlsKsRGB3yNUudv6w-BUgx2SGUgCLcBGAs/s1600/planter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="500" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sHh7MZV9bt0/WYEoIMYIG0I/AAAAAAAAH1Y/nNqJromlsKsRGB3yNUudv6w-BUgx2SGUgCLcBGAs/s640/planter.jpg" width="505" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I absolutely love it and I found the perfect spot for it in front of my home office. I was so pleased with it I wanted to find an appropriate plant to put in it as soon as possible. I eventually decided to buy a new hibiscus which is another tropical plant that seems to do quite well in Auckland and I was sure it would do well in this spot which is very hot and sunny in the afternoons.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was very interested in how Tovio made this planter, which he had put together using some surplus materials from a job he had done where he installs <a href="http://www.classifiedpages.co.nz/stone_mason.html" target="_blank">imitation stone as cladding on houses</a>, fireplace surrounds and other garden features, including letterboxes. The more I looked at this planter box the more I realised how well this material compliments the style of my house which has a kind of colonial character to it but also the material would lend itself nicely to the tropical garden I’ve created out the back. So I started thinking about how I could incorporate this concept into my garden.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nkMjXyV9NBA/WYEucrkhmJI/AAAAAAAAH1o/-CMlYGBhGP81FbxQHpUf7SmXk2RaLGeQgCLcBGAs/s1600/before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nkMjXyV9NBA/WYEucrkhmJI/AAAAAAAAH1o/-CMlYGBhGP81FbxQHpUf7SmXk2RaLGeQgCLcBGAs/s400/before.jpg" width="370" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">One area that has been bothering me for some time is a little garden space at the back of the house where the back garden begins. I put this in years ago using ‘half round tanalised timber edging’ which despite being tanalised has slowly rotted because of an overflow pipe from a hot water cylinder which constantly drips water into this garden. So I decided to ask Tovio if he could install some of his imitation stone into this space, which he was more than happy to do for me.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3e2i6aJVbkU/WYEwmu7-HzI/AAAAAAAAH10/WzYqGWEDrk0f5E6Hw61bZvo9A6B-0tNpwCEwYBhgL/s1600/preparation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3e2i6aJVbkU/WYEwmu7-HzI/AAAAAAAAH10/WzYqGWEDrk0f5E6Hw61bZvo9A6B-0tNpwCEwYBhgL/s640/preparation.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After installing some tanalised plywood into the space (on both sides) it was ready to have the stone attached to it. If you look carefully in the picture (above left) you may notice how I also added an extra timber rail above the space as the thickness of the stone material would protrude beyond what was there originally by about 50mm. I thought it would look better if the top edge of the stones were concealed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qi9GXoHr5I4/WYEyiaiZMDI/AAAAAAAAH18/jOkARimNZ9UPJi7MyqgfCSQ3jk-lG3aeACLcBGAs/s1600/final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="429" data-original-width="1000" height="274" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qi9GXoHr5I4/WYEyiaiZMDI/AAAAAAAAH18/jOkARimNZ9UPJi7MyqgfCSQ3jk-lG3aeACLcBGAs/s640/final.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At this point Tovio set about installing the stones, which are actually made of solid concrete, using a special waterproof adhesive. After that he pointed all the gaps with a cement mix to which he’d added a charcoal colour. If you live in Auckland and you'd like something similar done at your place, why not get in touch with Tovio. Learn more about Tovio's <a href="http://www.classifiedpages.co.nz/stone_mason.html" target="_blank">Stone Cladding Service</a> here.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RpuIS5rfHPo/WYE3f_b1smI/AAAAAAAAH2Q/arZbF12xbLsN1UTvjfcSOYKxR-8RGJRQwCLcBGAs/s1600/plants.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RpuIS5rfHPo/WYE3f_b1smI/AAAAAAAAH2Q/arZbF12xbLsN1UTvjfcSOYKxR-8RGJRQwCLcBGAs/s320/plants.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jxVbRt4YOzg/WYE0_PAj8lI/AAAAAAAAH2I/L9lvc02Uu6827zp7nxrXFJpKzDhh1VtqACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jxVbRt4YOzg/WYE0_PAj8lI/AAAAAAAAH2I/L9lvc02Uu6827zp7nxrXFJpKzDhh1VtqACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_6544.JPG" width="240" />&nbsp;</a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After the stone work was completed, I made a custom fit box which I lined with black polythene to sit in the garden where the pipe was dripping and planted it out with a Maiden-hair fern, which had previously been growing in this part of the garden. There should now be no issues with rotting substrate and I know the maiden-hair will thrive in this position. I also added some mother-in-laws tongue which I felt also worked well in this space. (Picture above right shows the plants thriving after just a few months.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9dKGKou2qV8/WYE4I5t5fCI/AAAAAAAAH2U/DTqYMKrZqjUS1GJQuK5mX3m6sjJjizvXwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9dKGKou2qV8/WYE4I5t5fCI/AAAAAAAAH2U/DTqYMKrZqjUS1GJQuK5mX3m6sjJjizvXwCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_6575.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To complete the effect I laid a couple of flat stones in the garden on which I would sit a couple of pot plants, the large bright blue one creating a feature in this area with a Plectranthus ‘Velvet Elvis’ to compliment the colour of the pot.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Although it appears to obscure the stonework, you get glimpses of it as you walk past, in between the pots. I added some white pebbles to finish it off. I’m very pleased with the stonework and I’m keen to use more of it around the garden. I’m already cooking up a few ideas on that — watch this space.</div>Dave McGregorhttps://plus.google.com/108867116869437071186noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737272448240695582.post-80003332307041024862017-07-17T11:28:00.002+12:002017-08-09T18:01:58.718+12:00More Retaining WallsOne of the most challenging aspects of my property is the hilly contour of the land. The property rises steeply off the road, flattens out where the house sits and then descends into a deep gully before rising steeply again to my garden which in turn, sits on the edge of a cliff! All of this has required a tremendous amount of time, energy and expense building retaining wall after retaining wall. I’m pleased to say that most of the work has now been done except for one last area which is in the gully itself, where I built the <a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2011/01/race-to-build-sleepout-1.html" target="_blank">sleepout</a> a few years ago.<br /><br />Over the years since I have been at this property I have acquired a number of palm trees and other tropical plants which have now outgrown their pots and need to be planted in the ground. However, while the gully seemed to be the most appropriate place to plant them, the bank where I had the most space was simply too steep, hence the need for more retaining walls.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PHIfIbFJG8A/WWvoZUHkplI/AAAAAAAAHls/h2HbWEQKpu0SBLDzxQ4LTBMPuEkPCL4jQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_5997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PHIfIbFJG8A/WWvoZUHkplI/AAAAAAAAHls/h2HbWEQKpu0SBLDzxQ4LTBMPuEkPCL4jQCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_5997.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>The space I refer to is in the lower right corner of this picture (left). If you look carefully, you may be able to see 2 big tree stumps which I would need to work around.<br /><br />If you want to see what this area used to look like a few years ago when the trees were still there click <a href="https://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2013/01/getting-expert-help.html" target="_blank">here</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lkmEBs6G-ss/WWvtvl7jXxI/AAAAAAAAHl4/CMML-oTAfh89Z0Do17nPeBQ7KHT9e8kGgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lkmEBs6G-ss/WWvtvl7jXxI/AAAAAAAAHl4/CMML-oTAfh89Z0Do17nPeBQ7KHT9e8kGgCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_6588.JPG" width="300" /></a><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lkmEBs6G-ss/WWvtvl7jXxI/AAAAAAAAHl4/CMML-oTAfh89Z0Do17nPeBQ7KHT9e8kGgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>&nbsp;<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8V6TkOujlH0/WWvt3Kn2uTI/AAAAAAAAHl8/tePd9u2Syg027qrsttsTK-PIonTC8-eXQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8V6TkOujlH0/WWvt3Kn2uTI/AAAAAAAAHl8/tePd9u2Syg027qrsttsTK-PIonTC8-eXQCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_6599.JPG" width="300" /></a><br /><br />I opted to build with timber as all the tree roots in the way made any other option seem too difficult and also rather impractical. Timber is also a cheaper option. Having said that, getting up and down to the actual worksite with ANY material was always going to be difficult. After climbing up and down with what seemed like dozens of buckets of concrete, the job seemed to take forever.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SEAkLimRCeQ/WWvxc0IFcII/AAAAAAAAHmE/t1u3rMnEc6ENhsttb5dsqsCt2PZdAEAiACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SEAkLimRCeQ/WWvxc0IFcII/AAAAAAAAHmE/t1u3rMnEc6ENhsttb5dsqsCt2PZdAEAiACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_6608.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>&nbsp;<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lWxPlkLnn-A/WWvxk_juRiI/AAAAAAAAHmI/uscQ0SSnTHgCjTwpm1YXRf4Dd5jbZd7HgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lWxPlkLnn-A/WWvxk_juRiI/AAAAAAAAHmI/uscQ0SSnTHgCjTwpm1YXRf4Dd5jbZd7HgCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_6814.JPG" width="320" /></a><br /><br />It seems I may have underestimated just how steep this bank was, because even after building the wall to 1.5m high (the maximum allowable without a permit), the slope was still too steep to create the effect I wanted, so I decided to carve a flat footing into the bank and create another small retaining wall using keystones, all the while trying to work around the huge tree stump that was in the way.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-thjg182VpbA/WWvzvKRA3hI/AAAAAAAAHmM/U6DScgzTYfAlRlvNVrFBaRfT7RJVKuM2ACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-thjg182VpbA/WWvzvKRA3hI/AAAAAAAAHmM/U6DScgzTYfAlRlvNVrFBaRfT7RJVKuM2ACLcBGAs/s640/IMG_6823.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After finishing off the keystone wall and back-filling with garden mix that part of the garden was ready for planting...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DE66sJDZ0RQ/WYebslYMWgI/AAAAAAAAJJU/B1DhPd6ExVYzVmqnOYBdSKyBoIMVnlCDwCLcBGAs/s1600/planting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DE66sJDZ0RQ/WYebslYMWgI/AAAAAAAAJJU/B1DhPd6ExVYzVmqnOYBdSKyBoIMVnlCDwCLcBGAs/s640/planting.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br />Dave McGregorhttps://plus.google.com/108867116869437071186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737272448240695582.post-21448163036962515812016-11-30T17:56:00.002+13:002017-08-09T17:50:46.820+12:00Going PottyI recently discovered 2 of the largest Garden Centres in Auckland. They each carry an unbelievable amount of stock that if combined would fill several football fields. They're on the northern and southern fringes of Auckland and as far as I could tell when I visited, had only one person running each store. Needless to say, &nbsp;the presentation at their stores was a very low key affair – a kind of second hand junk shop/wreckers yard style of Garden Centre.<br />But what they lacked in presentation they more than make up for in unique items for sale including plants, statuary and pots. And when I say pots, I mean a GIZILLIAN pots in every colour, shape and style you can imagine. I was like a kid in a candy shop.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jKeEeupOV0s/WD5JENx4FKI/AAAAAAAAGsQ/NEjz2uSlTp0AX5kLevj5D-TeWTF0ERkiQCLcB/s1600/IMG_5881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jKeEeupOV0s/WD5JENx4FKI/AAAAAAAAGsQ/NEjz2uSlTp0AX5kLevj5D-TeWTF0ERkiQCLcB/s640/IMG_5881.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>At first it was a little overwhelming. With so many choices, I had to think really carefully about what I wanted to achieve. I've already got a nice collection of pots around the garden which I've collected over many years but none of them are particularly big, mainly because the bigger they are the more expensive they get.<br />But there's something special about pots in the garden that you just can't capture any other way, so it was time to splash out and get a few big pots.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cTpW7nLw9SQ/WD5JH4dG-ZI/AAAAAAAAGsU/TTzw_zVnmOYudpBkJmZnzINjtn8QRQ-pACLcB/s1600/IMG_5884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cTpW7nLw9SQ/WD5JH4dG-ZI/AAAAAAAAGsU/TTzw_zVnmOYudpBkJmZnzINjtn8QRQ-pACLcB/s640/IMG_5884.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />Lately I’ve been getting all inspired and thinking about Babylon. I saw the movie Alexander recently too and was intrigued by the depiction of ancient Babylon with its infamous hanging gardens. It’s not the first time I’ve thought about that with reference to my garden but I was reminded of it and I reckon that would be a fitting theme to try and create when selecting my pots, especially for the gully in the middle of my property.<br />So when I saw this set of 3 pots with this dimpled relief pattern, for some reason it made me think of Nebuchadnezzar’s beard and the ornate surroundings of his throne. So that was that... I had to have them!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dhc3MzUJ31Y/WD5UD3Hga3I/AAAAAAAAGsk/ncNWqsJcmhMCOnnw0Gdemf53Q93HNaHegCLcB/s1600/IMG_6066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dhc3MzUJ31Y/WD5UD3Hga3I/AAAAAAAAGsk/ncNWqsJcmhMCOnnw0Gdemf53Q93HNaHegCLcB/s400/IMG_6066.JPG" width="300" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kwbAS7UCeSo/WD5YhOZBD7I/AAAAAAAAGsw/7Q34lOszk2AjCYzcmf1Cc6oBqUl6Z9PVwCLcB/s1600/IMG_6073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kwbAS7UCeSo/WD5YhOZBD7I/AAAAAAAAGsw/7Q34lOszk2AjCYzcmf1Cc6oBqUl6Z9PVwCLcB/s400/IMG_6073.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />At this stage I’ve got a vague plan of how I want to use them in the garden and where I want to put them. But it wasn't until I got them home that I realised there’s a bit of preparatory work I need to do to achieve the effect I’m after... like levelling the ground where I want them to sit, because they won’t look right if they’re not level and for that I may need to mix some concrete. They're pretty big and heavy especially once they’ve got a big plant in them, so they'll need a solid base to sit on.<br /><br />Anyway, the picture above left shows what I did with the smaller one. A large buxus topiary or spherical hedge that I got on a subsequent visit to the same store creates quite a feature in front of the house. As you can see the plant is in a plastic pot inside the ceramic pot, so that if I ever decide to change things around I won't have to upend this heavy pot and break my back (or the pot!) getting it out later.<br /><br />I managed to find a couple of bigger plastic pots to use as ‘liners’ for the larger ceramic pots too. Into one of them I’ve repotted one of my Bungalow palms, which will eventually get quite big. I’m thinking of having a pair of these, one on either side of the entrance to the garden at the top of the wooden steps, which will create a kind of palm grove in this part of the garden.<br /><br />I’ll post more on the pots later...<br /><br /><br />Dave McGregorhttps://plus.google.com/108867116869437071186noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737272448240695582.post-44427869668438092632015-09-09T14:51:00.000+12:002016-11-01T10:32:14.905+13:00The Garden's calling me...I haven't written anything on here for almost a year!<br /><br />It's been just over a year now since Izumi died and I haven't lived in my house for several months. Needless to say the Garden has been the last thing on my mind for quite a while so it's still looking rather neglected. I have many fond memories of the garden and I often find myself thinking about it. I miss it. Especially do I enjoy the pleasantness of a nice cold beer in the garden over the summer months.<br /><br />With the arrival of Spring and a brief visit to the garden recently I am starting to feel like the garden's calling me, not only because there's so much work that needs doing, but there's a few encouraging signs &nbsp;of growth that have recaptured my interest.<br /><br />About this time last year I planted a miniature climbing rose and have been gradually training it to grow over my galvanised iron archway. I've tried growing several things over <a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2011/12/garden-archway.html" target="_blank">the archway</a> in the past but this is the first time I've tried growing a plant whose sole purpose is to produce flowers.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bco94fRcOxM/Ve-VeKFUPOI/AAAAAAAAFbc/gxSPSgdhgNM/s1600/IMG_4711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bco94fRcOxM/Ve-VeKFUPOI/AAAAAAAAFbc/gxSPSgdhgNM/s640/IMG_4711.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's just starting to flower for the first time and will be part of an interesting new direction I intend to take for the garden, with more attention given to flowering plants than previously.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QM8wH81Exrw/Ve-Vgao9j-I/AAAAAAAAFbk/OSUBETnICQ8/s1600/IMG_4712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QM8wH81Exrw/Ve-Vgao9j-I/AAAAAAAAFbk/OSUBETnICQ8/s640/IMG_4712.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>As you can see in the background, the garden is still a jungle of weeds. By the way, that's a Feijoa tree I've planted on the back boundary by the fence, which I planted in about March/April earlier this year. I'm still keen to have lots of fruit growing in the garden.<br /><br />So you can imagine my delight when I discovered I've got a new peach tree growing, which self-seeded next to the compost bin without me noticing and is now taller than me and currently in blossom.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0wyy589dW-M/Ve-YoqCDMuI/AAAAAAAAFb0/iBanbcN36U4/s1600/IMG_4715.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0wyy589dW-M/Ve-YoqCDMuI/AAAAAAAAFb0/iBanbcN36U4/s400/IMG_4715.JPG" width="300" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ScSutjpJQGM/Ve-Yoj3Dc6I/AAAAAAAAFbw/CjD4JWfl7ws/s1600/IMG_4719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ScSutjpJQGM/Ve-Yoj3Dc6I/AAAAAAAAFbw/CjD4JWfl7ws/s400/IMG_4719.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />It's a completely different variety from my other peach tree with large pink blossoms so I'll be interested to see what (if any) fruit grows on it this year. It's not growing where I would've thought to grow it as it's not in full light, but it seems to like it there so I'm just going to leave it. At least it won't be in the way as it's right on the edge of the bush.<br /><br />I'm planning to return to the house at the end of the year. Hopefully by then I'll be ready to roll up my sleeves and get stuck in.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Dave McGregorhttps://plus.google.com/108867116869437071186noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737272448240695582.post-67871394861553536662014-09-29T18:12:00.000+13:002014-09-30T10:27:02.249+13:00Garden Neglect...the explanation.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iPq8v3fCJCg/VCi_tl2lnNI/AAAAAAAADUQ/HwVoBImKlmg/s1600/weeds.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iPq8v3fCJCg/VCi_tl2lnNI/AAAAAAAADUQ/HwVoBImKlmg/s1600/weeds.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div><br />I’ve been known to make excuses in the past for why my garden’s looking a bit untidy or unkempt. But lately m<span style="text-align: left;">y garden has been looking the worst it ever has. In addition to the damage caused by a couple of mid winter storms this year the situation has been compounded by months of neglect.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span><span style="text-align: left;">Observant readers of this blog may have heard me make subtle comments about the various distractions that were keeping me from the garden at various times, and more so probably in the last year or so.&nbsp;</span><span style="text-align: left;">Up until now I’ve refrained from going into that on here, but now it's time to break my silence.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span><span style="text-align: left;">Sadly, the reason is because my wife Izumi who I sometimes mention on here, has been battling cancer since Nov 2011 and despite the efforts of many good people to help her, she finally lost the battle on August 27th (about a month ago) and has now gone to rest.</span><br /><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span><span style="text-align: left;">Izumi loved the Garden, visiting it every day to seek out something for dinner or in more recent times to gather whatever was available for juicing, in an effort to keep her immunity strong.&nbsp;</span>Believe it or not there are still some vegetables growing in amongst all those weeds...somewhere.<br /><br />But I couldn’t possibly allow myself to do another blog post on here without first acknowledging her passing and crediting her for much of what I was motivated to do. In many ways she was the inspiration for building the garden in the first place, a huge project which took years of painstaking effort.<br /><br />I got a great deal of satisfaction out of her reaction to everything I did. Without her encouragement it probably never would have happened the way it did. She took a great deal of interest in this blog too although she was adamant that she didn’t want her picture shown on here — at least not her face, probably because most of the photos taken of her in the garden didn’t show her at her best. But also because she preferred her privacy and was more comfortable staying in the background.<br /><br />Many of the ideas we incorporated into the garden came from our visits to various parts of the country usually during summer holidays. Like the time we visited Russell in the far North of New Zealand which is where we got the inspiration to <a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2012/04/bougainvillea.html" target="_blank">grow a Bougainvillea vine over a pergola</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dTVvGdnxfJY/VCjLAyfo72I/AAAAAAAADUg/eaOvkKUbck4/s1600/izumi_Russell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dTVvGdnxfJY/VCjLAyfo72I/AAAAAAAADUg/eaOvkKUbck4/s1600/izumi_Russell.jpg" height="640" width="484" /></a></div><br />Or there was the time we joined <a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2013/11/the-great-greenhithe-garden-tour_18.html" target="_blank">the Great Greenhithe Garden tour</a> where we got lots of inspiration from the private gardens we visited. On that tour I also got this poignant shot of Izumi walking down a long tree-lined driveway into the distance. I never imagined at the time how seeing this less than a year later would bring home the deep sense of loss I feel now that she’s gone.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e5KslIJZP8s/VCjp6aNhS0I/AAAAAAAADU8/ne_X92nO-dM/s1600/izumi_driveway2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e5KslIJZP8s/VCjp6aNhS0I/AAAAAAAADU8/ne_X92nO-dM/s1600/izumi_driveway2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><i><b>Goodbye Izumi — you'll be missed!</b></i><br /><br />Now spring has arrived... closely followed by daylight savings, so it’s time to get back out into the garden and start tidying up — if only the weather would let me.Dave McGregorhttps://plus.google.com/108867116869437071186noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737272448240695582.post-49880153358581358912014-06-11T18:33:00.000+12:002014-06-11T18:33:00.440+12:00Another Storm Hits AucklandWe’ve been expecting a few days of rain which came as forecast. However one thing forecasters didn’t mention was the Gale force winds that arrived last night which almost turned our place upside down and were the strongest winds I’ve ever experienced in my 50 years living on the north shore.<br /><br />It wasn’t until I awoke after a sleepless night that I saw the extent of the damage.<br /><br />Here are a few pictures...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oZ6oSXLGEPk/U5fwiDC3mVI/AAAAAAAAC0s/EZxf_unmKv4/s1600/tree.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oZ6oSXLGEPk/U5fwiDC3mVI/AAAAAAAAC0s/EZxf_unmKv4/s1600/tree.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div><br />A tall Acmena tree on the front of our neighbours property got blown over onto our driveway which took out telephone lines on the way down.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tldKjSha_X0/U5fxTv4qE6I/AAAAAAAAC00/IXrdYV_WMss/s1600/plastic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tldKjSha_X0/U5fxTv4qE6I/AAAAAAAAC00/IXrdYV_WMss/s1600/plastic.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We lost a piece of plastic roofing after it came loose and was flapping around in the wind. It kept me awake most of the night as it’s right outside by bedroom window.&nbsp;It finally shattered into dozens of pieces&nbsp;that were strewn around the property along with many other bits of vegetation including &nbsp;branches off trees.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AOrtKAIJnjc/U5fybZ8ESSI/AAAAAAAAC1A/2TVEpbNOFnQ/s1600/trellis.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AOrtKAIJnjc/U5fybZ8ESSI/AAAAAAAAC1A/2TVEpbNOFnQ/s1600/trellis.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Part of our trellis fence got completely blown apart.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FpFaKpGBn4c/U5fzilpkilI/AAAAAAAAC1M/kPxIWpyxAJg/s1600/door.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FpFaKpGBn4c/U5fzilpkilI/AAAAAAAAC1M/kPxIWpyxAJg/s1600/door.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The door on our emergency bathroom out the back got it’s door completely blown off its hinges...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OYYkeciIB58/U5fzoaWdlKI/AAAAAAAAC1U/dN2uKvbF3vE/s1600/doorjamb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OYYkeciIB58/U5fzoaWdlKI/AAAAAAAAC1U/dN2uKvbF3vE/s1600/doorjamb.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Literally!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Oq00vqQ9KPY/U5f0Mz_10aI/AAAAAAAAC1c/Uv1xXwJc_dg/s1600/sleepout.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Oq00vqQ9KPY/U5f0Mz_10aI/AAAAAAAAC1c/Uv1xXwJc_dg/s1600/sleepout.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div><br />This tall willow tree on our neighbours property got blown over. Thankfully it didn't blow over in the direction of my sleepout otherwise it would have crushed it. It came to rest on another large tree. It’s going to take a bit of work to untangle that, I reckon.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GkarEXAAwUg/U5f1CHT3lOI/AAAAAAAAC1k/KPlmZooiBbE/s1600/tree2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GkarEXAAwUg/U5f1CHT3lOI/AAAAAAAAC1k/KPlmZooiBbE/s1600/tree2.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div><br />Besides this there was a bit of damage done to a few other trees around my garden. It’ll probably see us right for firewood for the next 12 months or so.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oqj-FegWb_0/U5f1gK087CI/AAAAAAAAC1s/ISY4ChXjW-4/s1600/beans.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oqj-FegWb_0/U5f1gK087CI/AAAAAAAAC1s/ISY4ChXjW-4/s1600/beans.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div><br />The 2 bed bases I had my broad beans growing on fell over ruining the crop.&nbsp;Power was cut to half the north shore until around midday.<br /><br />So there’s going to be a bit of work to do tidying this all up.Dave McGregorhttps://plus.google.com/108867116869437071186noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737272448240695582.post-75106201841522399702014-06-09T18:11:00.000+12:002014-06-09T18:11:42.654+12:00Dealing with AphidsAphids are a real problem in my garden, as you can see by this infestation on my Kaffir Lime bush.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lYaBD0ef4Z0/U5VJD0pUndI/AAAAAAAAC0A/HQeFk5PO7DM/s1600/aphids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lYaBD0ef4Z0/U5VJD0pUndI/AAAAAAAAC0A/HQeFk5PO7DM/s1600/aphids.jpg" height="422" width="640" /></a></div><br />There are a number of different plants around my garden that seem to get infested every year with Aphids, especially when they’re putting forth tender new growth. It seems to get worse when the weather’s damp. The problem is compounded by the fact that we also seem to have many ants around our place, which is not uncommon in Auckland’s volcanic soil. Apparently the ants 'farm' the Aphids, using them the suck nutrition from the plants, which the ants then harvest.<br /><br />It’s quite hard staying on top of this, especially as I don’t like using chemical sprays. I spoke to a garden advisor about this who recommended spraying soapy water on the plants. In particular he recommended Sunlight soap which is a common brand used in the typical New Zealand home laundry — so it's not a bathroom soap.&nbsp;It’s very SOAPY soap! You don't need much of this stuff to get a lather going.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ssjhjx2P0rU/U5VLP4zQ2yI/AAAAAAAAC0M/09tE1CosfR4/s1600/SunlightSoap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ssjhjx2P0rU/U5VLP4zQ2yI/AAAAAAAAC0M/09tE1CosfR4/s1600/SunlightSoap.jpg" height="640" width="422" /></a></div><br />So I thought I’d try it. All I needed was a spray bottle. I just filled the bottom of the laundry tub with warm water and washed my hands with the soap, just enough to make the water soapy then filled up my bottle with the soapy water.<br /><br />I gave everything a good spray with it, then repeated the process again 2 or 3 days later. It seemed to do the trick. I’ll be sure to do it again next time if I see the aphids come back.Dave McGregorhttps://plus.google.com/108867116869437071186noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737272448240695582.post-25314950835261247272014-01-12T23:41:00.003+13:002014-01-12T23:42:37.221+13:00Harvesting Myoga GingerOne thing I wanted to do when summer rolled around again was to make a short video showing how we harvest the Myoga Ginger as there seems to be a lot of interest in this plant and most examples on U-tube are mostly in Japanese.<br /><br />So here’s the link. I hope you find it interesting and useful...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDBE5A3KXl8" target="_blank">Watch U-tube Video</a><br /><br />Dave McGregorhttps://plus.google.com/108867116869437071186noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737272448240695582.post-13983992876428785062013-12-04T13:45:00.000+13:002016-11-18T15:38:27.842+13:00LawnmowingI’ve been mowing lawns my whole life, starting from when I was a teenager back in the 1970’s.<br /><br />My father had me mowing our rather large lawn which was a chore I shared with my older brother using my Dad’s old Masport mower. It wasn’t long before one of our neighbours (an old lady) agreed to have us mow her lawns for a small fee. Her lawn was even bigger than ours and we used to do it for about $8 which was pretty good pocket money back then. She supplied the petrol and the mower which was a Victor mower. We took turns at first until my brother lost interest, then I did it regularly myself.<br /><br />I’d far sooner mow the lawn than do housework if it came to a choice between the 2 so needless to say even when I went flatting as a young person it was usually me mowing the lawn in most of the places I &nbsp;stayed.&nbsp;These days I still get a sense of satisfaction from mowing my lawns at home. For me there’s something familiar and homely about the smell of freshly cut grass.<br /><br />A couple of years ago a friend of mine who lives in a shared housing complex with a medium sized lawn surrounding it asked me if I’d be interested in caring for their lawns. Although it had been a long time since I mowed lawns for money, I decided to do it to help him out, as my other business interests were not that busy at the time. It turns out that the price I quoted them was less than their previous gardener was charging, so they were very happy for me to do it.<br /><br />After doing it regularly for a few months I started thinking about perhaps taking on 1 or 2 more lawns in the area and then spending say 1 day a week caring for lawns to help supplement my income. So I decided to place an ad on the <a href="http://www.classifiedpages.co.nz/lawns_gardens.html" target="_blank">CLASSIFIEDPAGES</a> website showing a few pictures from my garden at home.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JYzDilcyA8o/Up55aUmIqHI/AAAAAAAABms/XJasEJY1scQ/s1600/lawns2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JYzDilcyA8o/Up55aUmIqHI/AAAAAAAABms/XJasEJY1scQ/s640/lawns2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />The key to a nicely mowed lawn in my view is to always use the catcher. Although it usually takes a bit longer and requires more effort on a sloping lawn, there are 3 main benefits. 1. It looks nicer 2. Any children and pets that run around on the lawn afterwards don’t get covered in grass clippings and then walk them into the house creating more work, and 3. Grass clippings are excellent for composting.<br /><br />So, I kinda feel like I’ve gone full circle, returning to the days of my youth. It’ll be interesting to see how it pans out. Click here to visit my <a href="http://www.classifiedpages.co.nz/lawns_gardens.html" target="_blank">lawn mowing</a> ad.<br /><br />Dave McGregorhttps://plus.google.com/108867116869437071186noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737272448240695582.post-33090398893023966072013-11-20T18:02:00.000+13:002013-11-20T18:22:20.645+13:00Winter Gardens at the Auckland DomainWe’re well into spring in November which is a popular time of year for doing Garden Tours.&nbsp;Thankfully, there are plenty of public gardens around Auckland where I live, that can be visited, even for free, and most of them I’m sure will be looking good at this time of year.<br /><br />The Winter Gardens at the Auckland Domain are a good example. They basically consist of 2 large greenhouses separated by a large courtyard and fernery.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bEqWZqUa6Ws/Uow28FF5R8I/AAAAAAAABlU/1HETAN0QGh8/s1600/winter+gardens+courtyard+lores.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bEqWZqUa6Ws/Uow28FF5R8I/AAAAAAAABlU/1HETAN0QGh8/s640/winter+gardens+courtyard+lores.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />One the greenhouses is filled with subtropical plants while the other one focuses more on perennials and annuals, etc.&nbsp;and although one of them was closed for maintenance when I visited, the other greenhouse did not disappoint.<br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kvzf9tzkYpM/Uow5ezsUpTI/AAAAAAAABlc/WxB3d6ov4yg/s1600/Winter+Garden+lores.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kvzf9tzkYpM/Uow5ezsUpTI/AAAAAAAABlc/WxB3d6ov4yg/s640/Winter+Garden+lores.jpg" width="422" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was like a kid in a candy shop not sure of where to point my camera first. It was a veritable feast of colours, shapes and textures. Plenty of inspiration for both the&nbsp;gardener&nbsp;in me and the&nbsp;photographer and artist&nbsp;too. The display of Foxgloves looked amazing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TvlLrMQOE10/Uow8KBOGmwI/AAAAAAAABlo/Eamt-jt4pxU/s1600/Fox+Gloves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TvlLrMQOE10/Uow8KBOGmwI/AAAAAAAABlo/Eamt-jt4pxU/s640/Fox+Gloves.jpg" width="418" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The fernery was stunning too and while there wasn’t much in the way of colour, there was more than enough textures and shades of green to make up for it.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NrWCa08XTmw/UoxAEEoOYWI/AAAAAAAABmA/G_baYjM8NAk/s1600/fernery2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NrWCa08XTmw/UoxAEEoOYWI/AAAAAAAABmA/G_baYjM8NAk/s640/fernery2.jpg" width="418" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So if you ever get the chance to visit Auckland, be sure to visit the Domain and Winter Gardens. I’m sure you’ll be glad you did.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><br />Dave McGregorhttps://plus.google.com/108867116869437071186noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737272448240695582.post-26367049931290342552013-11-18T16:15:00.001+13:002013-11-19T13:52:09.202+13:00The Great Greenhithe Garden Tour – OverviewWhen I decided to do a blog post about the Greenhithe Garden Tour&nbsp;I should’ve known that doing a single post about it was not going to be easy or concise.&nbsp;With 15 private gardens being opened to the public one of my biggest concerns was how to write about it without offending any of the exhibitors or hosts that don’t even get a mention should they be gracious enough to even visit my blog, let alone read it, should they happen to stumble across it somehow.<br /><br />In deciding what to feature, I was conscious that like any creative form of expression, tastes in gardening styles can also be very subjective, so I decided to just concentrate on what appealed to me personally. Realistically I knew that of the 100 or more photos that I took I would probably only use a dozen or so, and just try to give an overview of what I saw.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8qGlio95KBU/UolefRP_YlI/AAAAAAAABhg/hgw8QV1Tyc4/s1600/rose+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8qGlio95KBU/UolefRP_YlI/AAAAAAAABhg/hgw8QV1Tyc4/s640/rose+house.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />It was immediately apparent that a lot of time and effort had been put in to each garden on show. Roses featured prominently in many of the gardens and while I’m not really a big fan of roses, some beautiful examples of them got me thinking about changing my view. Like the stunning red roses in garden No.4 which were being trained to grow up some trellis on the side of the house. They provided a beautiful accent to this garden which complimented the house nicely.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qmHjdLxJbhc/UolgNIMs7lI/AAAAAAAABhs/ZOBGp2YslHQ/s1600/rose_training.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qmHjdLxJbhc/UolgNIMs7lI/AAAAAAAABhs/ZOBGp2YslHQ/s640/rose_training.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cxtQz1oUUF8/Uolibr34rpI/AAAAAAAABh4/hfiPEJ5XPdE/s1600/paving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cxtQz1oUUF8/Uolibr34rpI/AAAAAAAABh4/hfiPEJ5XPdE/s640/paving.jpg" width="422" /></a></div>Many of the gardens had some kind of water feature in them and I particularly liked the stone work in Garden No.1 which was fenced off to create a private little haven with a tropical theme.<br /><br />Visiting this Garden was a real treat as the hosts had a live band playing jazz music right there in the garden.<br /><br />As we meandered through their large sloping section dotted with vegie patches and tropical palms the music wafted through the trees as we went, creating a rather festive atmosphere.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We arrived a little late at Garden No.13 so missed hearing someone talking about bee biology and beekeeping. But we couldn’t miss the distinctive hum of buzzing bees as we made our way along the board walk which circled around their property past a gathering of several beehives. The water feature here was a completely natural one as this property backs onto the upper harbour entry to Lucas Creek.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GfpDffcgjAE/UollV254ntI/AAAAAAAABiE/6gTsexwgcOM/s1600/waterview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GfpDffcgjAE/UollV254ntI/AAAAAAAABiE/6gTsexwgcOM/s640/waterview.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Although the gardens on show were the main attractions of the day, it seemed the whole community was in the gardening spirit. We could hear lawnmowers going as we walked from place to place and there were many other gardens besides those open to the public that caught my attention along the way, like this mediterranean inspired house. The white roses and bright green clipped hedges stood out beautifully against the terracotta masonry.&nbsp;This part of Greenhithe got me thinking about how beautiful a place it must be to live... if only you could afford it!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DOMKON9oMSU/UolpQ1RMZfI/AAAAAAAABiQ/1XcPuMp0Yl0/s1600/terracotta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="418" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DOMKON9oMSU/UolpQ1RMZfI/AAAAAAAABiQ/1XcPuMp0Yl0/s640/terracotta.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I’ve been thinking for some time about introducing bromeliads to the tropical area of my garden and a stunning specimen I saw by the pool in Garden No.15 was enough to persuade me that I should just go ahead and do it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kiut1fCy5QU/UoluL6AZ0aI/AAAAAAAABig/5c53Nixxx-8/s1600/pool3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kiut1fCy5QU/UoluL6AZ0aI/AAAAAAAABig/5c53Nixxx-8/s640/pool3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As you can see, every garden we visited had it’s own unique character and there were plenty of ideas to take away and think about. Even the most mundane areas of a property can be beautified like this area surrounding the clothesline in Garden No.9. At the time I didn’t even notice the clothesline was there – it was only when I looked at the pictures afterwards.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bxFQicusS2U/Uolzn45-RiI/AAAAAAAABiw/N2DlZn447vk/s1600/clothesline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bxFQicusS2U/Uolzn45-RiI/AAAAAAAABiw/N2DlZn447vk/s640/clothesline.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s5wqdmQCLOE/UomCqfS1ULI/AAAAAAAABjc/aHd3iOcp9Tg/s1600/ferns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s5wqdmQCLOE/UomCqfS1ULI/AAAAAAAABjc/aHd3iOcp9Tg/s640/ferns.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vTBjnjRwLOA/UomDJm7rs9I/AAAAAAAABjk/1fBgOXUmxHY/s1600/palms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vTBjnjRwLOA/UomDJm7rs9I/AAAAAAAABjk/1fBgOXUmxHY/s640/palms.jpg" width="422" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It’s kind of hard to believe that the last 3 pictures were all taken on the same property at Garden No.9. And as is true with all the other Gardens shown here, the pictures I’ve posted show only a glimpse of what we actually saw on the tour. One thing that all the gardens have in common though is the tremendous amount of work that’s obviously gone into creating them. This particular property apparently has a team of gardeners...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vLhOhBTSLL4/Uol1YdUEWuI/AAAAAAAABi8/ptbFXvLQrn0/s1600/wheelbarrows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="420" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vLhOhBTSLL4/Uol1YdUEWuI/AAAAAAAABi8/ptbFXvLQrn0/s640/wheelbarrows.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">By this point in the tour, after walking what seemed like several kilometres, up and down driveways and between all the houses, Izumi and I both reached the point of exhaustion and decided to go home. We’d had enough garden-hopping for one day.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">There was so much to see that we didn’t get to see them all which is kinda what I expected. But we saw 10 out of 15, so not a bad effort in view of the limited time we had available, as we both had appointments scheduled for the afternoon.</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3dwyc1jSTjw/Uol7kUsvmtI/AAAAAAAABjM/vx8ksJX27zo/s1600/driveway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3dwyc1jSTjw/Uol7kUsvmtI/AAAAAAAABjM/vx8ksJX27zo/s640/driveway.jpg" width="422" /></a></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">The truth is I am humbled by the whole experience and for a fleeting moment questioned whether I had any right to call myself a gardener. But gardening is something anybody can do no matter how large or small their property might be. Everybody has a different approach and that’s what makes it so interesting.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Dave McGregorhttps://plus.google.com/108867116869437071186noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737272448240695582.post-79361330180299955412013-11-14T17:13:00.001+13:002014-08-28T21:02:12.861+12:00The Great Greenhithe Garden Tour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BUMOK6jCRjw/UoRA5s0BNNI/AAAAAAAABgc/Tz170nfR3M0/s1600/tickets2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BUMOK6jCRjw/UoRA5s0BNNI/AAAAAAAABgc/Tz170nfR3M0/s400/tickets2.jpg" height="400" width="333" /></a><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><i>After many years of procrastinating I have finally decided to take The Great Greenhithe Garden Tour.&nbsp;This is an annual event held in the nearby suburb of Greenhithe. It’s held each spring to raise funds for their local kindergarden and is now into it’s 20th year. So I finally got around to getting 2 tickets and my wife Izumi and I will be attending it this Sunday.&nbsp;</i></span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It only lasts for one day from 10am ‘til 4pm and there are 15 private gardens that will be opened to the public, all within a 1 or 2 kilometre radius in Greenhithe. I remember Greenhithe as a youngster when it was considered to be semi-rural. I have some family members who moved there in the mid 1970’s and are still there today, so it has a familiar feeling about it for me.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">These days it has become a sought-after place to live and has a quaint community atmosphere. It is almost completely surrounded by water like an island and in recent times it has really filled up with housing. The gardens themselves are in the more well established parts of Greenhithe.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pP-CPNS_55k/UoRJPTu53RI/AAAAAAAABgs/-P0TmZIz7-U/s1600/tickets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pP-CPNS_55k/UoRJPTu53RI/AAAAAAAABgs/-P0TmZIz7-U/s640/tickets.jpg" height="571" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I’m really looking forward to it but I hope the weather will be fine as I’d like to get some interesting photos and thoughts together to share with you here on my blog. For more information visit their website here: <a href="http://www.greenhithegardentour.org/" target="_blank">The Great Greenhithe Garden Tour</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Read my review of the tour <a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2013/11/the-great-greenhithe-garden-tour_18.html" target="_blank">here</a></div><br />Dave McGregorhttps://plus.google.com/108867116869437071186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737272448240695582.post-89273190110320853082013-10-12T13:55:00.000+13:002013-10-22T09:34:50.100+13:00Rebuilding the RockeryAbout 2 years ago after I’d finished building the sleepout the rockery at the entrance to the garden was looking a real mess. It had already been falling apart slowly over the years since I first built it, but when I ran underground cabling to the sleepout, which went under the rockery, it fell apart even more. So I decided to get stuck in and fix it.<br />(See my post about how I originally created this area of the garden <a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2011/08/good-things-take-time.html" target="_blank">here</a>).<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o3dGmnnDwuc/UleDNHTANfI/AAAAAAAABc4/o9sVS2VpzU8/s1600/CIMG9672.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o3dGmnnDwuc/UleDNHTANfI/AAAAAAAABc4/o9sVS2VpzU8/s640/CIMG9672.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />I started with the rockery on the right hand side. I wanted to make sure it wasn’t going to fall apart again so easily so I used a good amount of concrete plaster to make it nice and strong, something I didn't do so well last time.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-keWk3k3RZSA/UleG_bYuc-I/AAAAAAAABdQ/PM2TeyAlBBw/s1600/CIMG9666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-keWk3k3RZSA/UleG_bYuc-I/AAAAAAAABdQ/PM2TeyAlBBw/s640/CIMG9666.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Once I got the right hand rockery finished off I filled it with garden mix ready to plant out.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kC6Jyq-7KRQ/UleFwek3h_I/AAAAAAAABdE/KJxW7ky8naU/s1600/CIMG9738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kC6Jyq-7KRQ/UleFwek3h_I/AAAAAAAABdE/KJxW7ky8naU/s640/CIMG9738.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Before I fixed the one on the left I decided to fix up the paving between the rockery and the steps going down to the sleep out. I’d been wanting to do this for some time and had in mind a way of tying it in with the overall design.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C7Bmlsw2H5A/UleINZXTpCI/AAAAAAAABdc/UoXB0nQsr9A/s1600/CIMG9759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C7Bmlsw2H5A/UleINZXTpCI/AAAAAAAABdc/UoXB0nQsr9A/s640/CIMG9759.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />I filled the main area of the path with concrete and exposed the aggregate on the surface to create a non-slip finish. Into the concrete I set 3 slabs of blue stone rock. I was really pleased with how this little piece of path turned out. In the mean time I was getting a bit impatient and decided to plant out the right hand rockery. As you can see, I decided to go for a tropical theme.<br /><br />This all took place around the same time I transplanted a medium sized Bangalow palm in the small garden next to the lower steps (see my post about that&nbsp;<a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/2012/03/palms-in-garden.html" target="_blank">here</a>)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9x7GqmK65lE/UleKTA_cCpI/AAAAAAAABdo/5J49Ua9_8s8/s1600/IMG_0116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9x7GqmK65lE/UleKTA_cCpI/AAAAAAAABdo/5J49Ua9_8s8/s640/IMG_0116.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />So, it was now time to focus on the left hand rockery. By now the job had taken several months as I was just fitting it in around other tasks. I only worked on it when I had extra time and was in a patient mood.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bA6AZ9GNZ6E/Ulizpg2MvXI/AAAAAAAABes/g_MHX3hDOh8/s1600/CIMG0516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bA6AZ9GNZ6E/Ulizpg2MvXI/AAAAAAAABes/g_MHX3hDOh8/s640/CIMG0516.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vrXdx07V9V4/Uli0ITqD5KI/AAAAAAAABe0/6NUS5yLc7SA/s1600/CIMG0519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vrXdx07V9V4/Uli0ITqD5KI/AAAAAAAABe0/6NUS5yLc7SA/s640/CIMG0519.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W9_mQ63KFWw/Uli0sFYCWCI/AAAAAAAABe8/V099bcAsQIk/s1600/CIMG0523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W9_mQ63KFWw/Uli0sFYCWCI/AAAAAAAABe8/V099bcAsQIk/s640/CIMG0523.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Once I got all the stones in place and the pointing between them was done it was time to fill it with garden mix and to think about what I was going to plant.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rm1E8eNRSLA/Uli22ZS1XMI/AAAAAAAABfI/MonOoJ8skIU/s1600/IMG_0325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rm1E8eNRSLA/Uli22ZS1XMI/AAAAAAAABfI/MonOoJ8skIU/s640/IMG_0325.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: left;">In keeping with the tropical theme, I had another bungalow palm which I had temporarily put in a large pot. I&nbsp;also had a few Clivias growing in various places around my garden which I decided to transplant. Using these would save me spending any more money. Clivias are very easy to divide up and produce a wonderful display of colour in the spring. They grow really well, even in the shade.</span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q6dqT8MbqLI/UliSYJzPYwI/AAAAAAAABeE/Nc4TQDumMV8/s1600/IMG_3243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q6dqT8MbqLI/UliSYJzPYwI/AAAAAAAABeE/Nc4TQDumMV8/s400/IMG_3243.jpg" width="300" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vCg5tGjVymU/UliUSsegarI/AAAAAAAABeQ/lcpw6DuAC0c/s1600/IMG_3258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vCg5tGjVymU/UliUSsegarI/AAAAAAAABeQ/lcpw6DuAC0c/s640/IMG_3258.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vCg5tGjVymU/UliUSsegarI/AAAAAAAABeQ/lcpw6DuAC0c/s1600/IMG_3258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So finally, after several months I got it to a point where it’s all repaired and planted out and it’s now quite pleasant walking through this area...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-joSB-3XkVwg/UmWM_7E0GbI/AAAAAAAABfk/OEfYh01fat4/s1600/IMG_3365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-joSB-3XkVwg/UmWM_7E0GbI/AAAAAAAABfk/OEfYh01fat4/s640/IMG_3365.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The tropical theme seems to be working pretty well through this part of the garden now...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0fcJt_oEfHo/UmWPHAQhiOI/AAAAAAAABfs/hair0XIgeQI/s1600/IMG_3363.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0fcJt_oEfHo/UmWPHAQhiOI/AAAAAAAABfs/hair0XIgeQI/s640/IMG_3363.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Shame about the weeds growing between the pavers, which is an&nbsp;ongoing issue as I prefer not to spray them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oyt36PMIaFY/UliWRL8P0nI/AAAAAAAABec/sys0dfYscQE/s1600/pathway.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oyt36PMIaFY/UliWRL8P0nI/AAAAAAAABec/sys0dfYscQE/s640/pathway.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Eventually I’d like to replace the pavers with solid concrete the same way as I exposed the aggregate on the little path at the bottom. But that probably won’t happen any time soon. In the mean time I'll probably just keep using the weed eater to control them.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Dave McGregorhttps://plus.google.com/108867116869437071186noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737272448240695582.post-42943787567898729772013-10-03T13:10:00.000+13:002017-08-09T17:53:36.514+12:00Garden Mix, Potting Mix & Soil RejuvenationA visit to the local landscape supplies yard has become like an annual pilgrimage for me at this time of year. Spring has finally arrived and when the sun finally comes out I’m usually always itching to get outside and get a few jobs done.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cFE4rBWoxQM/UkypX1uBs9I/AAAAAAAABbc/qj4eM6ZU3Ak/s1600/IMG_3232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cFE4rBWoxQM/UkypX1uBs9I/AAAAAAAABbc/qj4eM6ZU3Ak/s640/IMG_3232.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />I often buy compost in 40litre bags to supplement my home-made efforts which costs about $5 a bag, but buying in bulk is much better value especially if you’ve got a few bigger jobs in mind to do.&nbsp;So in case you’re wondering why I have to buy it when I talk so much about making my own, the point is,&nbsp;I find my efforts at making compost are still not producing as much as I need for those bigger jobs.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5G1P6G5EnYI/Ukysj6ZOuaI/AAAAAAAABbo/6cdxzFWc0qg/s1600/IMG_3235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5G1P6G5EnYI/Ukysj6ZOuaI/AAAAAAAABbo/6cdxzFWc0qg/s640/IMG_3235.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />So I got a half metre each of compost and garden mix which cost $114. They both look much the same because the garden mix has a certain amount of compost already in it, but you can plant directly into it. The compost on the other hand, is a much stronger mix and shouldn’t be planted into directly, but it’s great for rejuvenating the soil.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9tNK-qZ3fbQ/Ukyvx_p2z0I/AAAAAAAABb0/fqLkY-VY0Oo/s1600/IMG_3237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9tNK-qZ3fbQ/Ukyvx_p2z0I/AAAAAAAABb0/fqLkY-VY0Oo/s640/IMG_3237.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />In addition to the 2 trailer loads of ‘soil’ I stopped in at Bunnings and got an 8kg bag of coarse pumice ($14) which can be added to the garden mix to make it more suitable for potting.&nbsp;The pumice helps to improve drainage and it also helps to aerate the soil.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--3X83zGIJT8/UkyyCjCDcyI/AAAAAAAABcA/Gg4g3rmv7YM/s1600/IMG_3239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--3X83zGIJT8/UkyyCjCDcyI/AAAAAAAABcA/Gg4g3rmv7YM/s640/IMG_3239.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />While I was about it I couldn’t resist this bright pink Azalea which reminded me of one I had some time ago but which died on me. This was in an 8cm pot and cost about $9. So this was my first little potting job using this new mix.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LY5fCLUtjMo/UkyzdGAAYqI/AAAAAAAABcM/zt-KQSKjC7k/s1600/IMG_3241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LY5fCLUtjMo/UkyzdGAAYqI/AAAAAAAABcM/zt-KQSKjC7k/s640/IMG_3241.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I’ve got a few other jobs planned too, but more about that later.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">*****</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">From an economics point of view the photo below shows 4 x 40litre bags of compost next to my bulk compost which cost $57 — half of the $114 I paid in total. The bags cost $5 each so if you can imagine a pile 2.8 times this size, that would cost the equivalent of $57 the same as what I paid for the bulk mix. Based on this estimate the bulk mix works out about half the price or a little bit more.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-31UVeRHVZpY/Uky-NSLSTcI/AAAAAAAABcc/JlK6VP3Rfpc/s1600/IMG_3262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-31UVeRHVZpY/Uky-NSLSTcI/AAAAAAAABcc/JlK6VP3Rfpc/s640/IMG_3262.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">This isn’t as good a value as I recall from 20 odd years ago but it still works out cheaper than the bagged stuff and well worth buying it this way if you’ve got a few bigger jobs to do.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">A 40 litre bag of potting mix costs between $10-20/bag depending on the quality, so buying it by the bag can be expensive, especially if you need several bags. That’s why I buy a load of bulk mix every year.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></span></div><br /><br />Dave McGregorhttps://plus.google.com/108867116869437071186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737272448240695582.post-79224545480618672422013-09-14T16:23:00.000+12:002013-09-20T12:13:12.218+12:00Farming WormsAbout a year ago a good friend of mine who’s a keen gardener living nearby, decided to move away from Auckland. He had a worm farm that he didn’t want to take with him, so he asked me if I wanted it.&nbsp;I had no hesitation in accepting it.<br /><br />I’d heard quite a bit about worm farming over the years but never been that bothered about pursuing it, so I didn’t really know much about it, other than how the juice collected from the worms can be diluted and used to water the garden, with terrific results.<br /><br />This particular worm farm is made out of black plastic. It has three levels and is raised up on legs with a tap attached to the bottom level, through which the juice drains into a bucket.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R9EBsMNdeHs/UjPXCUvbfEI/AAAAAAAABZQ/HXoSq4AsPWo/s1600/IMG_2404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R9EBsMNdeHs/UjPXCUvbfEI/AAAAAAAABZQ/HXoSq4AsPWo/s640/IMG_2404.jpg" width="480" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R9EBsMNdeHs/UjPXCUvbfEI/AAAAAAAABZQ/HXoSq4AsPWo/s1600/IMG_2404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div style="color: black; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">After determining a suitable spot for it under some trees in the shade I levelled out an area laying down some paving tiles for it to sit on.&nbsp;It’s best for it to be located in a place that’s in permanent shade. The worms themselves prefer to be in complete darkness much like their normal home under the ground.&nbsp;</span><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Apparently, they’re quite fussy eaters — they don’t like citrus scraps or onions or anything else that’s too acidic. We mainly feed them all our kitchen scraps but the worms especially seem to love the pulp that comes out of the vegetable juicer (my wife is juicing daily). They probably like it so much because it’s very easy for them to get stuck into, having already been minced up.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9H8tUL2vq1s/UjPa8Vb-B1I/AAAAAAAABZc/lqgEWBWFm-A/s1600/IMG_2405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9H8tUL2vq1s/UjPa8Vb-B1I/AAAAAAAABZc/lqgEWBWFm-A/s640/IMG_2405.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">Before long the worms were producing huge quantities of juice. The bucket was filling up every 2 or 3 weeks. So we just transfer it into 3 litre milk bottles until we need it. Then I mix it about 10:1 in a watering can and pour it on the garden.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_763528568"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-avQS3r1wrIc/UjPdMGWog4I/AAAAAAAABZo/hrQErAZCO8o/s640/IMG_2651.jpg" width="480" /></a></span><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Things were going really well with the worm farm until one day we noticed something wasn’t right. When we opened the lid to feed them all the worms were massed together around the outside perimeter of the farm and appeared to be rather slimy and the sound they gave off was a sticky-gurgling-bubbling noise. We also noticed that quite a few worms had escaped (as pictured below) into the lower chambers which is not normal.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VGf63wIo6EU/UjPg9x2UQII/AAAAAAAABZ0/lmvz3ahMgqU/s1600/worms.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VGf63wIo6EU/UjPg9x2UQII/AAAAAAAABZ0/lmvz3ahMgqU/s640/worms.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;">After doing a little bit of research we came to understand that this was a sign that their environment had become too acidic. We also learned that an essential part of their diet is carbon roughage usually in the form of paper or cardboard.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;">At this point we decided to give the whole worm farm a complete clean out as the lower chambers were full of worm castings anyhow. This would be great for putting on the compost*.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;">The picture above is of the bottom chamber. The picture below is of the top and middle sections. You can probably see there’s quite a marked difference in the consistency of the castings between the bottom and middle sections – the middle section is quite dry in comparison to the bottom compartment which is quite sloppy. The middle section was full to the brim with castings, so much so that the top compartment was sitting directly on the castings, so it was definitely time for a clean out.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zr1XF6GycEU/UjPjeav-8II/AAAAAAAABaA/giUQ92VLY10/s1600/roughage.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zr1XF6GycEU/UjPjeav-8II/AAAAAAAABaA/giUQ92VLY10/s640/roughage.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: -webkit-auto;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both;">So we &nbsp;are conscious now of always adding a bit of corrugated cardboard cut up into strips and layered in with the food we give them because they also like their environment to be kept aerated. Since we did this they seem to be doing fine.</div><div class="" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="" style="clear: both;">*As mentioned above. I put the castings and the sludge from the bottom compartment into the compost. As part of my normal compost routine I usually try to mix up the wet and dry ingredients that I have on hand. Eventually it will all even out into a nice crumbly consistency. I’m looking forward to seeing what difference the worm castings make to my compost when it’s ready to be used in the garden.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8I1T9QIn4Jc/UjuP5eu5PmI/AAAAAAAABac/pVDJjlKUqT4/s1600/IMG_2976.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8I1T9QIn4Jc/UjuP5eu5PmI/AAAAAAAABac/pVDJjlKUqT4/s640/IMG_2976.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Dave McGregorhttps://plus.google.com/108867116869437071186noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737272448240695582.post-17448441165765687442013-09-09T14:47:00.001+12:002013-11-18T17:23:13.763+13:00A Visit to Auckland’s Botanic Gardens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">As I mentioned in my previous post, one thing I’ve been thinking about doing is visiting other gardens besides my own, whether public or private and sharing some of my observations.</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">When it comes to inspiration you can’t beat a visit to a public botanic garden. For one thing they have a much bigger budget than any private gardens I know of so they are usually always well kept and there’s something of interest to see all year round — and they’re usually free to visit which is always a bonus.&nbsp;</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ByOMSUD04Wg/UigdVIsP1cI/AAAAAAAABWs/hzx0RWxOHSg/s1600/Cactus-Gardens-300k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ByOMSUD04Wg/UigdVIsP1cI/AAAAAAAABWs/hzx0RWxOHSg/s640/Cactus-Gardens-300k.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><br />I happened to be in the vicinity of the Auckland’s botanic gardens at around midday recently so I decided to go there to eat my lunch. I had my camera with me so I thought I would take a look around and if possible get a few nice shots.<br /><br />Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t the best.&nbsp;It had been raining all morning and had been blowing a gale too, so I wasn’t too hopeful about getting anything particularly outstanding.&nbsp;Being the first week of spring you never know what surprises await you when you visit any garden. Not that I was looking for garden <i><b>inspiration</b></i> particularly but I <i><b>was</b></i> looking for some interesting subject matter for my renewed interest in photography, so what better place to go for a keen gardener like myself?<br /><br />Sadly the wind ruined many of my shots, so I’m keen to go back again on a nice still day. However, the Cactus Gardens were seemingly unnaffected by the wind so I managed to get this stunning shot. The clouds may help you to appreciate what was happening in the atmosphere on that day. The sun even came out momentarily between the clouds.<br /><br />The overall effect is rather interesting, so I think this will work quite well as a stretched canvas print.&nbsp;If you’d like one follow&nbsp;<a href="http://www.zazzle.co.nz/cactus_gardens_gallery_wrapped_canvas-192238235480302851" target="_blank">this link</a>.<br /><br />The particular area I was interested in seeing was the section dedicated to Magnolias. I’ve noticed around Auckland all the magnolias coming out in bloom this time of year. They really are quite a spectacular plant but grow far too big for my garden. So here’s a few pics I got...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wyZ0x_yOx6A/Ui0uqEiN9sI/AAAAAAAABXU/vO6ktZsGl7Q/s1600/magnolias_lores.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wyZ0x_yOx6A/Ui0uqEiN9sI/AAAAAAAABXU/vO6ktZsGl7Q/s1600/magnolias_lores.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wyZ0x_yOx6A/Ui0uqEiN9sI/AAAAAAAABXU/vO6ktZsGl7Q/s320/magnolias_lores.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5LjC5RY-qDI/Ui0t2sNfehI/AAAAAAAABXI/bAAgyZFdG1M/s1600/magnolia2_lores.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5LjC5RY-qDI/Ui0t2sNfehI/AAAAAAAABXI/bAAgyZFdG1M/s320/magnolia2_lores.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wyZ0x_yOx6A/Ui0uqEiN9sI/AAAAAAAABXU/vO6ktZsGl7Q/s1600/magnolias_lores.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JygtcGWmets/Ui0vNDVmotI/AAAAAAAABXc/Rk8e5QECl3s/s1600/magnolia3_lores.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JygtcGWmets/Ui0vNDVmotI/AAAAAAAABXc/Rk8e5QECl3s/s320/magnolia3_lores.jpg" width="251" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The rhododendrons were also blooming. They seemed to be a magnet for the Tuis with several of them in one tree feeding on the nectar.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4uXL90EsogI/Ui01FY_PkZI/AAAAAAAABX0/DBDHPmrCu0U/s1600/Rhododendron_med_res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="420" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4uXL90EsogI/Ui01FY_PkZI/AAAAAAAABX0/DBDHPmrCu0U/s640/Rhododendron_med_res.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Botanic gardens are well worth a visit. Why not take a visit to a botanic garden near you if you have one in your area.Dave McGregorhttps://plus.google.com/108867116869437071186noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737272448240695582.post-81949999224131356092013-08-27T14:46:00.000+12:002013-08-27T14:46:05.053+12:00Blog Marks 3 Years<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I’m rather proud to announce that my Garden Blog has now been running for almost 3 years. I had no idea when I first started how long I would continue with it or how successful it would be. Anyway, I thought I would show how it’s been performing and take the opportunity to thank YOU, the audience, without whom my efforts at blogging would’ve been a complete waste of time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As you can see from the stats shown below the readership has been steadily growing over that time and currently it’s on track to reach 2,000 page views a month within the next month or so.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iD2rAv0v2kA/Ugr0j_9i-gI/AAAAAAAABRs/uokOWygIo34/s1600/stas_merged.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="484" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iD2rAv0v2kA/Ugr0j_9i-gI/AAAAAAAABRs/uokOWygIo34/s640/stas_merged.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It has been interesting to see what posts have caught people’s attention and the wide variety of countries represented in the audience stats. The stand out performer of all my blog posts has been the one about Myoga Ginger. I had no idea it would generate so much interest, but I was helped to see why when I received some of the feedback, comments and questions about this rather unique plant.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have a few ideas about what I’d like to do with the content over the next year or so to keep it interesting. One thing I’d like to do is talk a bit more about other gardens besides mine, whether public or private, so we’ll see how that goes. I’m also thinking of inviting other keen gardeners to do a guest post about their garden or maybe an interview. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please feel free to let me know.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had thought of marking this auspicious milestone with something more interesting than a simple post about it. Perhaps a little prize or gift for one of you readers but I kind of ran out of time to organise anything properly and I didn’t want to do a half job, so I might save that for later.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anyway, thanks again for stopping by.</div>Dave McGregorhttps://plus.google.com/108867116869437071186noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737272448240695582.post-1475784799184462982013-08-13T14:32:00.001+12:002013-09-20T12:40:34.758+12:00The Clash of Gardening StylesI’ve heard about the contention that arises between a husband and wife or 2 flatmates who share a garden but can’t agree on how it should be done. Everybody’s different and has their own style, theme or approach that they want to work on.&nbsp;Some like it formal, some like it informal. Some prefer to plan everything carefully, others like to leave everything to chance and let nature do its thing on its own.<br /><br />Sometimes, my wife Izumi and I also disagree.&nbsp;For me, I prefer to have a finite plan that is clear and well defined. I like to clear an area, turn over the soil and grow my crop. Then after harvest, I like to pull everything out and start all over again. I don’t have a lot of patience for plants that aren’t performing as I think they should, or plants that are taking up more space than I think they’re worth.<br /><br />But I have to admit there is some merit in doing some things Izumi’s way. She often likes to let things go to seed, so she doesn’t like it when I pull stuff out too soon. She likes things to be left alone and given a chance to see what they can do.<br /><br />Take this broccoli, for example...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yDPikzwMkVU/UgmRnLyRHLI/AAAAAAAABQs/0Yj8Fzi3bjU/s1600/broccoli_stump.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yDPikzwMkVU/UgmRnLyRHLI/AAAAAAAABQs/0Yj8Fzi3bjU/s640/broccoli_stump.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br />Can you guess how long this has been in the garden? It’s actually into its third year now. If Izumi hadn’t protested each time I said I was going to pull it out, it would’ve been long gone.<br /><br />The only reason I’ve allowed it to stay is because it has become <b>“the Broccoli Plant that Keeps on Giving”</b>. In fact that was the title I had in mind for this post, but it was taking too long to get to the point and I came to feel the real story lay in the value of learning from other’s gardening styles.<br /><br />The point is, I am totally amazed at what this broccoli plant has given in terms of fruit. Something I would never have learned if I continued doing things my way.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qs1xHstgGYc/UgmT_GLtUPI/AAAAAAAABQ8/HJqHTUs5Pf4/s1600/broccoli3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qs1xHstgGYc/UgmT_GLtUPI/AAAAAAAABQ8/HJqHTUs5Pf4/s640/broccoli3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />In Auckland we can pretty much grow broccoli all year round, so this thing seems to continuously flower from one season to the next. But it has become unbelievably prolific. I have attempted to circle in red all the little flower heads that are forming and were visible in the above photo. I counted about 25 and that’s just what can be seen from this angle. There were more besides these all at various stages of growth elsewhere on the plant.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T7OwG0vMHsU/UgmWb9PR1UI/AAAAAAAABRM/csNDGbFGNQw/s1600/broccoli_flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T7OwG0vMHsU/UgmWb9PR1UI/AAAAAAAABRM/csNDGbFGNQw/s640/broccoli_flowers.jpg" width="438" /></a></div><br />Admitedly, the flower heads aren’t that big, but there’s plenty of them. So contrary to what I used to believe about broccoli's flowering only once and that’s it, if you just cut the head off the plant at harvest time and leave the root in the ground, it will start shooting from the sides and continue shooting as long as you keep plucking off the heads.<br /><br />Perhaps I should concentrate on feeding the soil. Maybe I can increase the size of the heads.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CMtWItqa5Ow/UjuYwOY-EDI/AAAAAAAABas/Kd3foGLzqxs/s1600/IMG_3170.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CMtWItqa5Ow/UjuYwOY-EDI/AAAAAAAABas/Kd3foGLzqxs/s640/IMG_3170.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Anyway, there was enough for a meal this time.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Dave McGregorhttps://plus.google.com/108867116869437071186noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737272448240695582.post-53147514120723150562013-08-04T21:06:00.001+12:002013-08-04T21:11:57.439+12:00Collecting FirewoodThe cost of electricity is pretty expensive these days so any little bit we can save on heating the home in winter is a good thing.&nbsp;So, every year I’ve got my ears and eyes peeled for any firewood that’s looking for a good home. See how I got my firewood situation sorted this year in the attached <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce7tinFXqms&amp;feature=share" target="_blank">U-tube clip</a>.<br /><br />Truth is, I was looking for a way to test my time-lapse photography skills on my new camera and I thought this would be a good way to practise.<br /><br />Enjoy...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowFullScreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' mozallowfullscreen='true' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ce7tinFXqms?feature=player_embedded' FRAMEBORDER='0' /></div><br /><br /><br />Dave McGregorhttps://plus.google.com/108867116869437071186noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737272448240695582.post-84665246837950954882013-07-24T22:48:00.000+12:002013-07-25T10:40:58.478+12:00The Mandarin TreeEvery year we look forward to the beautiful sweet, seedless fruit borne on the Mandarin tree just outside our kitchen window. However this year the fruit on the tree has taken a back seat to the avian visitors who’ve frequented it. They’ve made interesting subject matter for my rekindled interest in photography.<br /><br />The tree attracts several different kinds of birds who seek out the bright orange, sweet fruit that this tree produces this time of year. As mentioned in my previous post about a Tui that’s been visiting the tree, moments later a rosella joined in, so I got a shot of him too...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NNTIzctL6r4/Ue-osdjY9-I/AAAAAAAABLI/4RDtPO2LKUc/s1600/rosella.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="418" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NNTIzctL6r4/Ue-osdjY9-I/AAAAAAAABLI/4RDtPO2LKUc/s640/rosella.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Actually, Rosella’s usually travel in pairs and if you look carefully you’ll see there’s more than one rosella in the shot. Can you see the second one? All you can see is a flash of red to the left of the frame. &nbsp;Seeing how well hidden it is might help you appreciate how tricky it was getting a clear shot of one of these birds. They’re pretty shy and they take off the moment they even spot any human.<br /><br />They make a ‘cackling’ noise as they communicate with each other through the tree. Although they’re an introduced bird from Australia and considered a pest and a threat to other native species, I actually quite like them – they’re so colourful. A friend of mine actually caught one and tamed it and had it flying around inside his house. Probably not such a good idea when you think about all the droppings it left everywhere.<br /><br />Another frequent visitor to the mandarin tree has been the ‘silver eye’ or the ‘wax eye’ as some like to call them. When you see them it becomes pretty clear why they’re named that. They have a distinctive white ring around their eyes. These birds dart in and out, moving around so quickly making them a challenge to shoot. So I was quite pleased to get this shot...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lPpqhBW75Os/Ue-rVGqe6rI/AAAAAAAABLY/j5kAz1elJlU/s1600/silver+eye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="404" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lPpqhBW75Os/Ue-rVGqe6rI/AAAAAAAABLY/j5kAz1elJlU/s640/silver+eye.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Having said all of the above, you can imagine what a treat it was one morning for my wife and I to witness all 3 birds in the tree at the same time. It was interesting to witness them interacting with each other. I’ve often wondered what is meant when I hear it said that “the Rosella is a threat to our native species”. Are the native birds <b><i>physically</i></b> threatened? Or is it the food supply or something else in their environment that is threatened?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y47l-pRD8jg/UfBODUsZRGI/AAAAAAAABLo/11IrHXJNJ-A/s1600/multi-bird-lores.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y47l-pRD8jg/UfBODUsZRGI/AAAAAAAABLo/11IrHXJNJ-A/s640/multi-bird-lores.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y47l-pRD8jg/UfBODUsZRGI/AAAAAAAABLo/11IrHXJNJ-A/s1600/multi-bird-lores.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b2JjnJwm4n8/UfBT1qRKg_I/AAAAAAAABMM/kKzmFEvYUXk/s1600/multi-bird-lores3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="452" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b2JjnJwm4n8/UfBT1qRKg_I/AAAAAAAABMM/kKzmFEvYUXk/s640/multi-bird-lores3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Anyway, this was the first time I’d ever observed these 2 birds up so close to each other and while they kept their distance from each other and appeared weary of each other while they followed each other around the tree, there was no real confrontation between them. Moments after these shots were taken a third bird entered the scene...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8EpQQeP3hyA/UfBPpkv1nZI/AAAAAAAABL4/4S8LBfVcmQA/s1600/multi-bird-lores2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8EpQQeP3hyA/UfBPpkv1nZI/AAAAAAAABL4/4S8LBfVcmQA/s640/multi-bird-lores2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br />This rather inquisitive Silver Eye also seemed weary of the rosella and was keeping his distance but he wasn’t afraid to get close enough for a good look at what he was up to. If he had to get away I bet he could easily out manoeuvre the Rosella.<br /><br />So although we missed out on quite a bit of fruit off the tree this year, this was more than made up for being able to witness, photograph and share all this bird activity.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Dave McGregorhttps://plus.google.com/108867116869437071186noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737272448240695582.post-33107790323216410602013-06-24T12:30:00.000+12:002013-06-24T13:09:56.185+12:00A Tui Visits the GardenWe have a mandarin tree right outside our kitchen window which bears beautiful, sweet, seedless fruit this time of the year.<br /><br />The tree often plays host to various birds coming to get their fill of fruit. I’ve been yearning to catch this scene on a decent camera ever since I started this blog a few years ago and I’m happy to say I finally got around to getting myself a decent digital SLR.&nbsp;Although I’m still figuring out how to use it properly, the first few snaps I’ve taken on it are already a vast improvement over what I’ve managed previously when it comes to bird photography. So I hope to feature more birds in the future.<br /><br />Within the space of 10 or 15 minutes I managed to get a shot of 2 of my favourite birds in the garden...<br /><br />Firstly a native Tui...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--yZtjhL3Ogg/Ucd_gjnkXyI/AAAAAAAABEY/T0yXKrHnB38/s1600/tui.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="416" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--yZtjhL3Ogg/Ucd_gjnkXyI/AAAAAAAABEY/T0yXKrHnB38/s640/tui.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This guy seems to be pretty fat and well fed, which explains all the holes in the fruit when we go to pick them for ourselves. But that’s a small price to pay in my opinion because I just love these birds.&nbsp;They&nbsp;produce&nbsp;the widest repertoire of sounds which are very distinctive and unique to the NZ Tui.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_cba-0krF_I/UceKHaOK0EI/AAAAAAAABEo/AgNkWTKDXCg/s1600/tui-feeding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_cba-0krF_I/UceKHaOK0EI/AAAAAAAABEo/AgNkWTKDXCg/s640/tui-feeding.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Before you start questioning this bird’s fashion sense with his coloured bangles, I did a little research and discovered that these bands he’s wearing are part of a conservation effort to track and record the movements, diet and habitat of these birds throughout NZ.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">NZ residents who have an interest in the welfare of the native Tui are being encouraged to assist by notifying the organisers of this project of any bird sightings, providing their location and other details. The way I understand it, each individual bird can be identified by the unique combination of coloured bands on its legs.&nbsp;</span><span style="text-align: left;">For more info visit the website </span><a href="https://popscinz.wordpress.com/the-nz-tui-project/" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">here</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tuis often feed on flowering plants and trees and it wasn’t until I started looking closely at these photos that I noticed they have a rather long tongue, which I’m guessing they use to extract the nectar from flowers.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FP3K74wOc6Q/UceLFXYa1LI/AAAAAAAABE4/CU0q1zbr7K8/s1600/tui_tongue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FP3K74wOc6Q/UceLFXYa1LI/AAAAAAAABE4/CU0q1zbr7K8/s640/tui_tongue.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Tui is very much treasured in NZ but they have come under threat at various times from other bird species who they seem to compete with for food and territory.&nbsp;One such competitor is the second of these birds that visited the same tree moments later — an introduced Australian Rosella. I’ll do a separate post about this later – stay tuned.</div><div><br /></div>Dave McGregorhttps://plus.google.com/108867116869437071186noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737272448240695582.post-18389257350383270882013-05-22T16:02:00.000+12:002013-05-22T16:15:49.114+12:00DIY Mantlepiece #2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once I got the concrete slab moved to the front porch it was now in a handy spot for working on it a bit easier.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After putting a straight edge on it I could see a few humps and hollows where my trowelling was a bit out.&nbsp;Similarly putting a set-square on it showed where I was out a bit with the boxing a regards true 'square'.&nbsp;So using an angle grinder to skim off the humps and a bit of solid plaster mix to fill in the hollows I then had all nice straight, flat, square surfaces on which to glue the tiles.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i4bMqqT1G64/UZwurfsUPLI/AAAAAAAABBU/HlPnMfqqSDE/s1600/IMG_2669.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i4bMqqT1G64/UZwurfsUPLI/AAAAAAAABBU/HlPnMfqqSDE/s400/IMG_2669.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Because the mantlepiece would end up in a very visible space directly beneath the TV, I realised the tile work would have to be spot on. I didn’t want the edge of the tiles to show, which meant I would need to do a lot of cutting of 45° bevels so the corners could be mitred. So using a tile cutting machine and an angle grinder I mitred all the tiles for the top surface first.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-77d2EQfqPDk/UZwywUn1z_I/AAAAAAAABBk/XMiTL7CEkRA/s1600/IMG_2658.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-77d2EQfqPDk/UZwywUn1z_I/AAAAAAAABBk/XMiTL7CEkRA/s400/IMG_2658.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Then once the tiles were cut I spread the glue on the slab for the first row of tiles on the front edge. The position of these tiles was critical to how it would all finish up. So positioning the 2 front corner tiles first, I simply placed all the remaining tiles for the first row in between.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I hasten to add, I did a lot of measuring, double measuring and then measuring again to make sure the mantlepiece would end up at just the right length to match the existing hearth, allowing for the thickness of the tiles and the glue, etc. I wanted all the new tiles to line up with the existing tiles, otherwise I figured it would just look wrong.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PCAS1ZzGIZk/UZwzvGkF6_I/AAAAAAAABB0/A1c72zUO1MU/s1600/IMG_2691.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PCAS1ZzGIZk/UZwzvGkF6_I/AAAAAAAABB0/A1c72zUO1MU/s400/IMG_2691.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Using a straight edge I made sure all the tiles were flat, straight and evenly spaced, then I allowed the glue to set before doing the next row. Once the first row was set in position I knew I could use them as a solid reference point for making sure the whole top surface was perfectly flat. This would be important as the mantlepiece would act as a shelf for the DVD player and other items and I didn’t want anything wobbling around if the surface was uneven.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F94Gbib4-lQ/UZw26wMNVZI/AAAAAAAABCE/rs32R8pVdpM/s1600/IMG_2697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F94Gbib4-lQ/UZw26wMNVZI/AAAAAAAABCE/rs32R8pVdpM/s320/IMG_2697.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-os0Wxuma1JY/UZw4voKvKoI/AAAAAAAABCU/gwAg0xhQ4po/s1600/IMG_2700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-os0Wxuma1JY/UZw4voKvKoI/AAAAAAAABCU/gwAg0xhQ4po/s320/IMG_2700.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Once all the tiles on the top surface had set in place I carefully turned the whole thing upside down to work on the surface underneath. Following the same method as before I made sure the 2 end tiles were positioned correctly first using a set square to ensure everything was properly square. Then I just filled in between them with the remaining tiles. I used a straight edge to make sure they were all straight and flat and the set-square to make sure they were lining up correctly with the tiles on the top surface (which was now face down). Then I let the glue set same as before.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SD2b7AxSVfA/UZw6OmhEYiI/AAAAAAAABCs/UYqPKFCqGiI/s1600/mantle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SD2b7AxSVfA/UZw6OmhEYiI/AAAAAAAABCs/UYqPKFCqGiI/s400/mantle.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">At this point I needed to do some quite tricky cutting. All the remaining tiles needed to be cut very carefully to fit in the gaps. So I turned the slab on its edge and took some careful measurements before cutting the tiles on the tile cutter, then bevelling the edges so each piece would fit nicely together with no tile edges showing. I used a portable vice to hold the tiles and the angle grinder came in real handy for this part of the job.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B_Cw3R1rPM4/UZw8I3draGI/AAAAAAAABC8/PwQ8wj22c68/s1600/mantle1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B_Cw3R1rPM4/UZw8I3draGI/AAAAAAAABC8/PwQ8wj22c68/s400/mantle1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Eventually, once all the tiles were cut, glued in placed and the glue had set, I grouted between all the tiles to finish it off.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vN8j1zEr-Po/UZw9bkyO1MI/AAAAAAAABDM/nO3lEW9lZt8/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vN8j1zEr-Po/UZw9bkyO1MI/AAAAAAAABDM/nO3lEW9lZt8/s400/photo.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">By now it must have been weighing about 100kg so I definitely needed help to install it. I used a whole tube of liquid nails to glue it to the existing hearth. And to make sure it wouldn’t tip over or move I installed a rimu upstand which I solidly fixed to the studs behind the wall.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g5Mx62eJAJE/UZw-h7ZPoiI/AAAAAAAABDc/N82iOmgT1f8/s1600/Mantlepiece-adj.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g5Mx62eJAJE/UZw-h7ZPoiI/AAAAAAAABDc/N82iOmgT1f8/s640/Mantlepiece-adj.jpg" width="420" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There’s just one more thing I need to do now and that is to cut a channel in the back of the upstand with a router so that I can hide away the cables which are still showing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-stxCvJDliK0/UZxAqbyN5iI/AAAAAAAABDs/RPuYrtuT5dE/s1600/Mantlepiece_adj2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="432" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-stxCvJDliK0/UZxAqbyN5iI/AAAAAAAABDs/RPuYrtuT5dE/s640/Mantlepiece_adj2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Thankfully I got it finished before the really cold weather arrived.&nbsp;This fireplace really pumps out the heat. But at least we can&nbsp;now use the fire without worrying about melting the TV.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">But the best part is, although it took a lot of time and effort I saved over $1000 by doing it myself.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I’m pretty pleased with it.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Dave McGregorhttps://plus.google.com/108867116869437071186noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1737272448240695582.post-45824876396326381312013-04-30T14:47:00.002+12:002018-01-02T15:25:08.119+13:00DIY Mantlepiece #1This post has very little (if anything) to do with the garden. Except for the fact that I often use my garden as my workshop — mainly because my wife doesn’t appreciate me mixing concrete inside the house — but that’s another story...<br /><br />Let me start by explaining my problem. We finally decided to upgrade our TV from an old fashioned montrosity that was taking up a whole corner of our living room to a wall mounted 42 inch flat screen. The only suitable wall space available was directly above our fireplace.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4y5cTWXtZ_s/UX8bwIBLC4I/AAAAAAAAA_U/sh2peOlKqvM/s1600/IMG_2653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4y5cTWXtZ_s/UX8bwIBLC4I/AAAAAAAAA_U/sh2peOlKqvM/s400/IMG_2653.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />I realised when we bought it at the end of last winter that this was going to be a problem next winter when we’d be wanting to use the fire again. I was worried that heat rising from the fire would damage the TV, so I started investigating ways of adding a mantlepiece to our existing hearth — something that would deflect the heat away from the TV.<br /><br />To begin with, I looked into getting one made out of marble or something similar but the cost of doing so was going to be more than the TV itself (over $1000), which to me didn’t really make much sense. So I decided to build one myself out of concrete and then use tiles to match in with the existing hearth.<br /><br />Our house was built in the 1950’s so the chance of matching the tiles perfectly was out of the question — I knew that. But it wasn’t just the colour and pattern at issue here but the size of the tiles which are an imperial size of 6 inches. Despite the challenge, I was amazed that I was actually able to find something pretty close at 150mm square which is about 3.5 mm smaller. The colour and pattern matched pretty closely too. To top it off I was able to get the 40 or so tiles I needed from a Tile Clearance Warehouse who stock all sorts of end-of-lines&nbsp;so they only cost me $10.<br /><br />So I first set about finding some suitable timber planks which I had stored away under the house and which I used for building the boxing for the mantlepiece. I was careful to ensure the timber was straight with no bows or buckles in it and would be strong enough to remain straight under the weight of concrete which I estimated would be over 80 kilos.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eSrLubDjeWo/UX8hs4l0INI/AAAAAAAAA_k/ltO5Lyhnup0/s1600/IMG_2531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eSrLubDjeWo/UX8hs4l0INI/AAAAAAAAA_k/ltO5Lyhnup0/s400/IMG_2531.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />I cut a piece of MDF to the shape and size of the end profile that I wanted and used that as the pattern around which I built the boxing.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--UaUrjCZkJE/UX8jvzxMw3I/AAAAAAAAA_0/81pBss5gIhQ/s1600/IMG_2532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--UaUrjCZkJE/UX8jvzxMw3I/AAAAAAAAA_0/81pBss5gIhQ/s400/IMG_2532.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xPiBtjc5dX4/UX8lPNyprdI/AAAAAAAABAA/LeprQJapesM/s1600/IMG_2541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xPiBtjc5dX4/UX8lPNyprdI/AAAAAAAABAA/LeprQJapesM/s400/IMG_2541.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once the boxing was built I lined it with a bit of plastic, then tied together some reinforcing steel and set it in place ready for the concrete. You might also notice I added a couple of bits of timber moulding to create a channel where I planned to run the cabling for the TV.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L8U0qUa8s78/UX8m08GxbUI/AAAAAAAABAY/3xOsrxsJU1A/s1600/IMG_2591.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L8U0qUa8s78/UX8m08GxbUI/AAAAAAAABAY/3xOsrxsJU1A/s320/IMG_2591.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>&nbsp;<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tN3SUaKY82c/UX8myIfOywI/AAAAAAAABAQ/tbeuev4ZSLI/s1600/IMG_2592.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tN3SUaKY82c/UX8myIfOywI/AAAAAAAABAQ/tbeuev4ZSLI/s320/IMG_2592.jpg" width="240" /></a><br /><br />Next, after making sure the boxing was level, I mixed up three 25kg bags of concrete and filled up the trough then smoothed the concrete over by eye getting it as flat and as even as I could, and working the slurry to the surface.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VnUiv5qHHKU/UX8oWyonNMI/AAAAAAAABAo/22sWNqrBA4s/s1600/IMG_2604.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VnUiv5qHHKU/UX8oWyonNMI/AAAAAAAABAo/22sWNqrBA4s/s400/IMG_2604.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After the concrete had set, I removed the boxing and gave it a blast with the hose to remove any loose agregate. Then I got my mate Damian to give me a hand to carry it round to the front of the house where I would work on it further and get it ready for tiling.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://davessecretgarden.blogspot.co.nz/search/label/DIY" target="_blank">See what I did next and the end result here.</a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br />Dave McGregorhttps://plus.google.com/108867116869437071186noreply@blogger.com2